TR: 81 Days in the Sierra w/Rogue Photonic 7/1-9/19/16
Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2017 12:24 pm
Been slacking on this TR... I know. At least I'm starting it before this Summer's hike begins! Last year I finished my Bachelor's at Berkeley and intended on going to Grad School this fall. But, due to financial reasons I will be postponing that for another year.. which basically means more time to hike and write up TR's. This year I've been working for my dad's company and at the Community College here in Tahoe. I've been working 50+ hours a week hence the delay in posting a TR that will span close to a 75 page book. This was year 3 for me with Rogue and I have got to say it's hard to imagine a different hiking partner at this point. I've run the numbers and after we finished last summer and fall we have spent 171 days together! For many that could be a considered a lifetime of hiking with someone. We already have another 47 days planned just for our long trip this summer. Before long we'll hit the one year mark! Needless to say it was an incredible summer with beautiful weather and some fantastic adventures.
So as a synopsis. This was the first summer where Rogue had someone join him the entirety of his summer trip of 81 days. We had a bit of logistical situation to deal with since we had multiple resupply points and two vehicles. We devised a plan that allowed for me to drop my truck off at the Wolverton TH which we would return to 50 odd days later! I dropped my truck off there, we headed in his truck up to VVR, where we started our first section on July 3rd. We headed up into the 2nd Recess and over Gabbot Pass to climb several peaks in the area. From there he headed to the Royce Lakes to climb some more. Out of there we headed over Royce-Merriam Saddle and Feather Pass and out to VVR via the Hilgard Branch and the Bear Creek Cutoff trail. We then drove Rogue's truck to Florence Lake and headed up the JMT into Evolution Basin to climb most of the major peaks in the area. We continued along the JMT all the way over Mather Pass and camped at Upper Basin to climb more peaks. From there we descended the South Fork of the Kings River in the Canyon of the Murro Blanco. The next section we were joined by our friend Dan as we traveled cross country through the Monarch Wilderness. The last long section left out of Roads End as we headed up to Lake Reflection and up and over the King's-Kern Divide into the Upper Kern Basin. We climbed numerous notable peaks and then headed to climb several peaks on the Great Western Divide as we went over Milestone Pass into the Kern-Kaweah river basin. We headed over Pants Pass into Nine Lake Basin and then we traversed the Kings-Kaweah Divide via multiple cross country passes until we finally came out at the Tablelands and dropped down to Wolverton to finally get back to my truck. From there we headed back to VVR where we did a shorter section around Pioneer Basin. Because we were a couple days early we headed up through Yosemite and climbed Mt. Dana, Gibbs, and Cathedral Peak. Once back on our schedule we met up with Derek and Larry at the South Lake TH. Larry joined us for a couple days as climbed up to Bishop Pass and did Agassiz. From there the 3 of us (Larry went home) went into the Palisade Basin to climb North Pal. We ended up bailing out a day early because major weather was rolling in. The last 2 short sections were peak based.. the first being Humphrey's and then Middle Pal. From there we all parted ways, Rogue and I returning home and Derek stayed to climb another couple days. So... I guess it's time to get started with Week 1!
Day 1- July 1- South Lake Tahoe to VVR
Day 1 started at 4:45 A.M. for me. I decided to take Highway 88 over Carson Pass instead of Highway 50 over Echo since 88 is more scenic and I wouldn't have to drive through Sacramento. I drove basically straight from Tahoe to Lodgepole. Throughout the Central Valley I enjoyed conversations with several friends that I would not have real conversations with for several months. Through many winding roads & much toil I arrived by 12:15; not half bad at all. I quickly found Rogue’s truck & parked next to it. We saw each other in the parking lot instantly. Afterwards we proceeded to eat some lunch & head to the ranger station to make sure parking my truck at Wolverton was okay. I had already called to check and they had told me it was perfectly okay. We quickly got the green light & headed there. After sorting through everything & disconnecting my battery I bid farewell to my truck… who I wouldn’t see again till the end of August. From there we attempted to jam to Cedar Grove, but of course got stuck behind someone driving stupidly slow. We eventually got there around 3:30PM. We quickly found out that the manager from last year wasn’t there but the lady there said it would be okay to leave our packages there. That certainly was a major relief. Now we were off to VVR. We made good time to Fresno at which point in Clovis we had some very delicious nachos. Our last meal in what can be deemed civilization. Huntington along with Shaver were totally full… which was a grand sight. We slowly made our way over the hellish Kaiser Pass road to VVR until finally we arrived around 9:15 P.M. I had a hell of a time setting up my tent due to the dark, tiredness, & general bleh. Finally ended Day 1 of driving horrendous, windy, steep, & god awful roads.
Day 2- July 2- Layover
Today filled with a general irritating feel at VVR because of many reasons. We quickly found out 2 cooks quit the week before and the kitchen manager left in the middle of the night! And Jim was recouping from surgery so… on top of all that the store badly needed a restocking and to our dismay the kitchen too. We skipped breakfast in the hopes of lunch but alas no lunch was served. We headed to Mono Hot Springs Resort where I wanted an Elk Burger but naturally they were out so Buffalo it was. Excellent meal we had there along with some buffalo chili. From there we secured our permit easily which was very fortunate indeed. We headed back to VVR and chatted with hikers all day in preparation for dinner. And what should happen for dinner but them running out of basically everything. Fortunately though we ended up with a delicious pulled pork sandwich with fries. I guzzled down the last tiny bit of my bourbon directly out of the handle looking like a big alcoholic. It was certainly a comedic sight. Only reasons why I did was because I filled up my resupply bottles and a small amount was left and i wanted to get rid of the bottle. We enjoyed a pleasant time around the fire with some JMTer’s & then blissfully sunk to sleep.
Day 3- July 3- VVR to 2nd Recess
We quickly packed up and were one of the first ones inside for breakfast, which was lacking items but still good. We finished packing, said our goodbyes & were ready to jump on the ferry. Fortunately for us we finally had a lake… not totally full but enough for a boat ride 99% of the way. We somehow missed the first 2 ferry’s & finally made it on the 10:30 one. By 11:30 or so we were on the other side on the trail. It was hot & annoying but no matter, we were finally out there. Within the first 45 min a ranger came down & checked our permit. All was well though. Soon we had our first ford where I very much enjoyed having water shoes. Onward we pushed amid conversations of the usual banter. We made it to the Mono Creek trail & the mosquitoes soon came out in full force. Fortunately we were armored up good so only some elbow damage was done. We eventually reached our turnoff at the ford of Mono Creek. It was running swift & high & just one look at how much Rogue was struggling made me reconsider. He made it with great care & luck as the water was over waist deep on him & he’s 6’3’’. I found a log upstream a little ways & made short work of the crossing. We quickly traveled up to our camp in the 2nd Recess that we stayed at 2 years ago. The mosquitoes were bad there but manageable once we made a fire. Oddly enough the grate for grilling was still there but I had nothing to use it for since I made pasta of which I gave a good amount to Rogue.
Day 4- July 4- 2nd Recess to Upper Mills Creek Lake
Today, we headed up to Upper Mills Creek Lake. The day went smoothly but we were very tired at the end since it was only Day 2 with 12 days of food and ice axes and microspikes. We met several hikers, even an HST member (VHSVHS). We finally got there by 4ish and found a very nice area to camp. We enjoyed bathing, laundry and had a very pleasant night amid the grandeur of what can only be stated as the grandist of the High Sierra.
Day 5- July 5- Upper Mills Creek Lake to South of Gabbot Pass
We awoke to a very cold morning & to be precise at one point my thermometer read 29OF! My my… another cold July… can it be? We headed up and over Gabbot Pass enjoying the snowfields at the top since they provided welcome relief from the talus. The upper lake was still mostly frozen. We made good time getting up there & then decided to skip on climbing the unnamed peak around the Royce Lake and instead climb Abbot the following day. Down the pass we went amid many south-facing snowfields…an impressive sight given early July. I glissaded on several. We eventually reached a flat area where we had lunch & decided to camp higher instead of at Toe Lake. We found a very nice flat area that has an epic view of all the Little Lakes Valley Peaks. Our camp is desolate as so many of ours usually is. We baked in our tents since we got there early but by 5:40 P.M. we lost the sun behind the ridge. A cold evening & subsequent night ensured.
So as a synopsis. This was the first summer where Rogue had someone join him the entirety of his summer trip of 81 days. We had a bit of logistical situation to deal with since we had multiple resupply points and two vehicles. We devised a plan that allowed for me to drop my truck off at the Wolverton TH which we would return to 50 odd days later! I dropped my truck off there, we headed in his truck up to VVR, where we started our first section on July 3rd. We headed up into the 2nd Recess and over Gabbot Pass to climb several peaks in the area. From there he headed to the Royce Lakes to climb some more. Out of there we headed over Royce-Merriam Saddle and Feather Pass and out to VVR via the Hilgard Branch and the Bear Creek Cutoff trail. We then drove Rogue's truck to Florence Lake and headed up the JMT into Evolution Basin to climb most of the major peaks in the area. We continued along the JMT all the way over Mather Pass and camped at Upper Basin to climb more peaks. From there we descended the South Fork of the Kings River in the Canyon of the Murro Blanco. The next section we were joined by our friend Dan as we traveled cross country through the Monarch Wilderness. The last long section left out of Roads End as we headed up to Lake Reflection and up and over the King's-Kern Divide into the Upper Kern Basin. We climbed numerous notable peaks and then headed to climb several peaks on the Great Western Divide as we went over Milestone Pass into the Kern-Kaweah river basin. We headed over Pants Pass into Nine Lake Basin and then we traversed the Kings-Kaweah Divide via multiple cross country passes until we finally came out at the Tablelands and dropped down to Wolverton to finally get back to my truck. From there we headed back to VVR where we did a shorter section around Pioneer Basin. Because we were a couple days early we headed up through Yosemite and climbed Mt. Dana, Gibbs, and Cathedral Peak. Once back on our schedule we met up with Derek and Larry at the South Lake TH. Larry joined us for a couple days as climbed up to Bishop Pass and did Agassiz. From there the 3 of us (Larry went home) went into the Palisade Basin to climb North Pal. We ended up bailing out a day early because major weather was rolling in. The last 2 short sections were peak based.. the first being Humphrey's and then Middle Pal. From there we all parted ways, Rogue and I returning home and Derek stayed to climb another couple days. So... I guess it's time to get started with Week 1!
Day 1- July 1- South Lake Tahoe to VVR
Day 1 started at 4:45 A.M. for me. I decided to take Highway 88 over Carson Pass instead of Highway 50 over Echo since 88 is more scenic and I wouldn't have to drive through Sacramento. I drove basically straight from Tahoe to Lodgepole. Throughout the Central Valley I enjoyed conversations with several friends that I would not have real conversations with for several months. Through many winding roads & much toil I arrived by 12:15; not half bad at all. I quickly found Rogue’s truck & parked next to it. We saw each other in the parking lot instantly. Afterwards we proceeded to eat some lunch & head to the ranger station to make sure parking my truck at Wolverton was okay. I had already called to check and they had told me it was perfectly okay. We quickly got the green light & headed there. After sorting through everything & disconnecting my battery I bid farewell to my truck… who I wouldn’t see again till the end of August. From there we attempted to jam to Cedar Grove, but of course got stuck behind someone driving stupidly slow. We eventually got there around 3:30PM. We quickly found out that the manager from last year wasn’t there but the lady there said it would be okay to leave our packages there. That certainly was a major relief. Now we were off to VVR. We made good time to Fresno at which point in Clovis we had some very delicious nachos. Our last meal in what can be deemed civilization. Huntington along with Shaver were totally full… which was a grand sight. We slowly made our way over the hellish Kaiser Pass road to VVR until finally we arrived around 9:15 P.M. I had a hell of a time setting up my tent due to the dark, tiredness, & general bleh. Finally ended Day 1 of driving horrendous, windy, steep, & god awful roads.
Day 2- July 2- Layover
Today filled with a general irritating feel at VVR because of many reasons. We quickly found out 2 cooks quit the week before and the kitchen manager left in the middle of the night! And Jim was recouping from surgery so… on top of all that the store badly needed a restocking and to our dismay the kitchen too. We skipped breakfast in the hopes of lunch but alas no lunch was served. We headed to Mono Hot Springs Resort where I wanted an Elk Burger but naturally they were out so Buffalo it was. Excellent meal we had there along with some buffalo chili. From there we secured our permit easily which was very fortunate indeed. We headed back to VVR and chatted with hikers all day in preparation for dinner. And what should happen for dinner but them running out of basically everything. Fortunately though we ended up with a delicious pulled pork sandwich with fries. I guzzled down the last tiny bit of my bourbon directly out of the handle looking like a big alcoholic. It was certainly a comedic sight. Only reasons why I did was because I filled up my resupply bottles and a small amount was left and i wanted to get rid of the bottle. We enjoyed a pleasant time around the fire with some JMTer’s & then blissfully sunk to sleep.
Day 3- July 3- VVR to 2nd Recess
We quickly packed up and were one of the first ones inside for breakfast, which was lacking items but still good. We finished packing, said our goodbyes & were ready to jump on the ferry. Fortunately for us we finally had a lake… not totally full but enough for a boat ride 99% of the way. We somehow missed the first 2 ferry’s & finally made it on the 10:30 one. By 11:30 or so we were on the other side on the trail. It was hot & annoying but no matter, we were finally out there. Within the first 45 min a ranger came down & checked our permit. All was well though. Soon we had our first ford where I very much enjoyed having water shoes. Onward we pushed amid conversations of the usual banter. We made it to the Mono Creek trail & the mosquitoes soon came out in full force. Fortunately we were armored up good so only some elbow damage was done. We eventually reached our turnoff at the ford of Mono Creek. It was running swift & high & just one look at how much Rogue was struggling made me reconsider. He made it with great care & luck as the water was over waist deep on him & he’s 6’3’’. I found a log upstream a little ways & made short work of the crossing. We quickly traveled up to our camp in the 2nd Recess that we stayed at 2 years ago. The mosquitoes were bad there but manageable once we made a fire. Oddly enough the grate for grilling was still there but I had nothing to use it for since I made pasta of which I gave a good amount to Rogue.
Day 4- July 4- 2nd Recess to Upper Mills Creek Lake
Today, we headed up to Upper Mills Creek Lake. The day went smoothly but we were very tired at the end since it was only Day 2 with 12 days of food and ice axes and microspikes. We met several hikers, even an HST member (VHSVHS). We finally got there by 4ish and found a very nice area to camp. We enjoyed bathing, laundry and had a very pleasant night amid the grandeur of what can only be stated as the grandist of the High Sierra.
Day 5- July 5- Upper Mills Creek Lake to South of Gabbot Pass
We awoke to a very cold morning & to be precise at one point my thermometer read 29OF! My my… another cold July… can it be? We headed up and over Gabbot Pass enjoying the snowfields at the top since they provided welcome relief from the talus. The upper lake was still mostly frozen. We made good time getting up there & then decided to skip on climbing the unnamed peak around the Royce Lake and instead climb Abbot the following day. Down the pass we went amid many south-facing snowfields…an impressive sight given early July. I glissaded on several. We eventually reached a flat area where we had lunch & decided to camp higher instead of at Toe Lake. We found a very nice flat area that has an epic view of all the Little Lakes Valley Peaks. Our camp is desolate as so many of ours usually is. We baked in our tents since we got there early but by 5:40 P.M. we lost the sun behind the ridge. A cold evening & subsequent night ensured.